Orica Explosives Technology Pty Limited

Mineral Carbonation International Pty Ltd

Orica International Pte Ltd

Geoffrey Frederick Brent

Eric Miles Kennedy

Michael Stockenhuber

Mark Stuart Rayson

Tapan Goswami

Michael John Noy

Emad Benhelal

Timothy Kenilworth Oliver

Peter Dare-Bryan

Faezeh Farhang

Alan Minchinton

Dane Peter Blair

The present invention provides an integrated process for carbon dioxide capture, sequestration and utilisation, which comprises:

Multistage mineral carbonation

The present invention describes an integrated process for carbon dioxide capture, sequestration and utilisation, which comprises: a) providing an aqueous slurry comprising an aqueous solution and a particulate solid comprising an activated magnesium silicate mineral; b) in a dissolution stage, contacting a CO-containing gas stream with the aqueous slurry to dissolve magnesium from the mineral to provide a magnesium ion enriched aqueous solution and a magnesium depleted solid residue; c) recovering at least a portion of the magnesium depleted solid residue; d) in a separate acid treatment stage, reacting the recovered portion of the magnesium depleted solid residue with a solution comprising a mineral acid or acid salt to further dissolve magnesium and other metals and to provide an acid-treated solid residue; e) recovering the acid-treated solid residue; and f) in a separate precipitation stage, precipitating magnesium carbonate from the magnesium ion enriched aqueous solution.

Integrated process for mineral carbonation

An integrated process for carbon dioxide capture, sequestration and utilization, includes a) providing an aqueous slurry with a particulate solid including an activated magnesium silicate mineral; b) contacting a CO-containing gas stream with the aqueous slurry to provide a slurry comprising a magnesium ion enriched carbonated aqueous liquid and a magnesium depleted solid residue; c) subjecting at least part of the magnesium depleted solid residue to a particle size classification process that separates the magnesium depleted solid residue into a fine particle size fraction and a coarse particle size fraction; d) subjecting the coarse particle size fraction to a particle size reduction process; e) providing an aqueous slurry comprising particle size reduced fraction from step d) and repeating step b), wherein this step e) does not include using fine particle size fraction from step c); and f) precipitating magnesium carbonate from magnesium ions dissolved in b) and e).

Mineral carbonation

This application provides a process for mineral carbonation, which process comprises the steps of: providing a bed of hydroxylated magnesium silicate mineral particles in a heating vessel; agitating the bed of particles under conditions of a sub-atmospheric pressure and at a temperature of at least 600&#xb0; C. to produce particles of dehydroxylated magnesium silicate mineral; and reacting the dehydroxylated magnesium silicate mineral with carbon dioxide, carbonate ions and/or bicarbonate ions to form magnesium carbonate. This application also provides a reactor system for carrying out the process, which includes () mineral from mine, () hydroxylated magnesium silicate mineral, () crushing, grinding, sizing, () agitated bed of particles, () external heating, () vacuum system, () from carbon source, () carbon dioxide or carbonate or bicarbonate ions in solution, () carbonation reactions, () carbonate product, () pre-heat, () heat recovery, and () magnetic fraction.

Dehydroxylation of magnesium silicate minerals for carbonation

A mineral carbonation process, characterized in that the silicate feedstock is thermally activated by using heat generated from the combustion of fuel prior to reacting the activated slurry feedstock with carbon dioxide.

Integrated chemical process

A method of blasting plural layers of material in a blastfield that reduces the amount of mechanical excavation required to expose a lower layer of material. The method includes using rows of equally spaced blastholes that pass through all of the layers and additional intermediate rows of blastholes that pass down only through the top layer. Each blasthole is capped with stemming material and includes one or more decks of explosive material and detonators, which air decks or inert stemming separating adjacent explosive decks. The detonators in layer are detonated first in order from row rearwards to throw a substantial amount of the blast material from the layer forwardly of free face onto the floor. In the same blasting cycle and within seconds of the throw blast, explosives materials in layers are detonated in a stand-up blast in which material in layers are broken up but otherwise are minimally displace or thrown forwardly.

Method of blasting multiple layers or levels of rock

A method of blasting rock, in mining for recoverable material, comprising drilling blastholes in a blast zone, loading the blastholes with explosives and then firing the explosives in the blastholes in a single cycle of drilling, loading and blasting. The blast zone comprises a high energy blast zone in which blastholes are partially loaded with a first explosive to provide a high energy layer of the high energy blast zone having a powder factor of at least 1.75 kg of explosive per cubic meter of unblasted rock in the high energy layer and in which at least some of those blastholes are also loaded with a second explosive to provide a low energy layer of the high energy blast zone between the high energy layer and the adjacent end of those blastholes, said low energy layer having a powder factor that is at least a factor of two lower than the powder factor of said high energy layer. The high energy blasting method provides improved rock fragmentation through increased explosive energy concentration while simultaneously alleviating deleterious environment blast effects.

High energy blasting

A process for converting carbon dioxide into solid material, which process comprises the steps of: (a) direct thermal activation of magnesium silicate hydroxide mineral feedstock by combustion of fuel to produce an activated feedstock; (b) separation from the activated feedstock of metal oxides at least substantially excluding magnesium oxide and magnesium silicate to produce a residual activated feedstock; (c) before or after said separation step suspension of the activated feedstock in a solvent to form a slurry; and (d) contacting the slurry of residual activated feedstock with carbon dioxide to convert the carbon dioxide into magnesium carbonate.

A method of blasting rock, in mining for recoverable material, comprising drilling blastholes in a blast zone loading the blastholes with explosives and then firing the explosives in the blastholes in a single cycle of drilling, loading and blasting. The blast zone comprises a high energy blast zone in which blastholes are partially loaded with a first explosive to provide a high energy layer of the high energy blast zone having a powder factor of at least 1.75 kg of explosive per cubic meter of unblasted rock in the high energy layer and in which at least some of those blastholes are also loaded with a second explosive to provide a low energy layer of the high energy blast zone between the high energy layer and the adjacent end of those blastholes, said low energy layer having a powder factor that is at least a factor of two lower than the powder factor of said high energy layer. The high energy blasting method provides improved rock fragmentation through increased explosive energy concentration while simultaneously alleviating deleterious environment blast effects.

A method of blasting plural layers of material () in a blastfield () that reduces the amount of mechanical excavation required to expose a lower layer of material. The method includes using rows of equally spaced blastholes () that pass through all of the layers and additional intermediate rows of blastholes () that pass down only through top layer (). Each blasthole is capped with stemming material and includes one or more decks of explosives material () and detonators (), with air decks or inert stemming () separating adjacent explosives decks (). The detonators in layer () are detonated first in order from row () rearwards to throw a substantial amount of the blast material from layer () forwardly of free face () onto floor (). In the same blasting cycle and within seconds of the throw blast, explosives material in layers () is detonated in a stand-up blast in which material in layers () is broken up but otherwise minimally displaced or thrown forwardly. Layers () may be coal seams which are separated by interburden layer () and covered by overburden layer ().

Methods of blasting rock are disclosed and claimed in which blast holes are arranged in group of 2 to 7 blast holes. Within each of the groups, adjacent columns of explosive material () are actuated within 5 ms of one another Initiation of blasting between the respective groups occurs at least 8 ms after completion of initiation of an adjacent group. Initiation devices () may be located at the lower end, upper end or both ends of the respective blast holes, depending on the stress field that is intended to be generated within the rock. As a result, environmental stresses such as ground vibrations are reduced, and the efficiency of rock fragmentation are increased.

Method of blasting

A method of blasting in which rock pile profile associated with a blast field is controlled by precise control of the detonation delay times between and/or within individual blastholes in the blast field, in combination with the control of one or more other blast parameters. One or more of the blast parameters may by blasthole geometry, explosive charge or blast initiation location.

The invention of the present application provides a method of controlled blasting comprising dispersing an explosive ( ) within a blasthole ( ) to form a dispersed explosive having a lower average bulk density than said explosive ( ) prior to dispersion and detonating said dispersed explosive. Typically the explosive ( ) is dispersed in air, however the explosive ( ) may be dispersed in other matrices such as other gases or liquids or in gases comprising particulate matter. The explosive ( ) may be dispersed using a number of different techniques such as, using a discharge of pressurised fluid or by detonation of a small propellant charge or by falling under gravity in the blasthole. The invention of the present application is particularly useful where a reduced concentration of explosive energy is required such as in perimeter control, presplitting or soft rock conditions, can be controlled by a method which involves dispersion the explosives composition ( ) within a blasthole prior to initiating the blast. The dispersion of the explosive composition ( ) within a blasthole ( ) provides an in situ low density explosives composition.

Growing community of inventors

Valentine, Australia

Geoffrey Frederick Brent